Troopers from Lafayette and Baton Rouge, along with the HazMat emergency services unit, fireman, contractors and other officials worked through the evening to clear and re-open I-10 east near Henderson.

According to police, around 8 a.m., two 18-wheelers were traveling eastbound in the outside lane of traffic between milepost 119 and 120 near the Henderson exit on I-10.

As traffic slowed down, the truck behind swerved to the left to avoid hitting the truck in the front, but "their trailers hit each other, which ripped the front end of the second 18-wheeler's trailer on the rear of the first 18-wheeler's trailer," said Louisiana State Police Master Trooper Brooks David of Troop I in Lafayette.

The 18-wheeler in back was carrying drums of hazardous materials, and one 50-pound drum of phosphoric acid leaked onto the highway after the crash, David said.

Phosphoric acid is a crystalline acid commonly used as an acidifying agent to give soda its tangy flavor, however because of its use, soda is actually contains more acid than lemon juice or vinegar. The vast amount of sugar masks and balances the acidity.

Phosphoric acid is also used for rust removal, in fertilizer and soap manufacture, and in food processing. "It's corrosive and an acid. If you would touch it, it would actually burn your skin," David said, so it was imperative that crews cleaned it up as soon as possible and as thoroughly as possible.